Due to increasing demands for reduced carbon dioxide emissions, internal combustion engines are increasingly optimized with respect to fuel consumption. However, known internal combustion engines may not be optimally operated in operating points having high load with respect to consumption, since the operation is limited due to a knocking tendency and high exhaust gas temperatures. One potential measure for reducing the knocking tendency is a retarding of the ignition, however, this increases the fuel consumption for the same performance. To reduce the exhaust gas temperatures, the mixture is enriched, i.e., the ratio of air to fuel is shifted to values of λ<1, as a result of which the fuel consumption also increases.
One alternative option for reducing the knocking tendency and for lowering the exhaust gas temperatures is the injection of water into the internal combustion engine, either directly into the combustion chamber or into the intake tract of the internal combustion engine. Devices for injecting water into an internal combustion engine are described, for example, in German Patent Application No. DE 10 2012 207 907 A1.